Dan Morgan couldn't believe his luck during the 2025 NFL Draft. And with good reason.
The Carolina Panthers' first three selections went better than the general manager could have dreamed of. None of the countless scenarios that he went through provided this outcome. And this franchise could potentially benefit for years to come because of it.
Tetairoa McMillan was the marquee pick at No. 8 overall. Most analysts thought the Panthers would go with a defensive piece, but Morgan had other ideas. If the front-office leader played things correctly, there was an opportunity to strike gold on Day 2.
It was a mission accomplished for the Panthers. They had to trade up twice to do it, but adding Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen provides a sense of explosiveness to the edge-rushing room that was in extremely short supply last season.
NFL analyst projects Carolina Panthers' rookie pass-rushers to flip the narrative in 2025
The Panthers plan to get both rookies involved immediately. They have D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones II as the veteran presences, which will be needed after Jadeveon Clowney's release. However, this developmental staff will be striving to ensure Scourton and Umanmielen are ready to play a part in Week 1.
Brent Sobleski from The Bleacher Report has high hopes for the pair. The respected analyst also believes Umanmielen could end up outperforming Scourton from a pure pass-rushing standpoint throughout his career in Carolina.
"[Princely] Umanmielen has the more traditional build and approach as a pass-rusher compared to [Nic] Scourton. The Texas A&M product has a stockier build and uses power with a spin counter that can really throw an offensive tackle off-balance. In contrast, the Ole Miss draft pick is long and lean with the flexibility to get under the pads of an opposing blocker and turn the edge. Both approaches can work. Umanmielen has more upside overall, though."Brent Sobleski
It doesn't matter who generates pressure on any given down, just so long as Umanmielen and Scourton both make a lasting contribution. The Panthers acted with conviction to secure their services when they got within touching distance. They'll be expecting a return on their investment eventually. Hopefully, it'll come sooner rather than later.
Scourton figures to be a more dominant presence against the run. That's not to say that he won't rush the passer effectively, but the physical tools are in keeping with tone-setters when it comes to setting the edge. As for Umanmielen? He's the bendy, wiry speedster the Panthers haven't had since Brian Burns was taking the team by storm.
If Umanmielen outperforms Scourton, and the second-rounder also plays well, Carolina's pass-rush could go from a weak link to a strong area of the squad. That's only going to help Ejiro Evero in his quest to get off the hot seat and back into the head coaching discussion.